Events and Activities in Point Arena!!

 MANCHESTER STATE BEACH

Located just three miles north along Highway One, Manchester State Beach offers five miles of sandy solitude. It is bordered to the north by Alder Creek, where the San Andreas Fault Line runs into the sea, and to the south by the Garcia River.

BOWLING BALL BEACH

Just south of the Point Arena Lighthouse is a stretch of beach that features prehistoric boulders that have been finely ground down over the millennia, into perfectly smooth spherical shapes. The display is especially magnificent at low tide.

The geology of the area is unique, and gives visitors the opportunity to view examples of significant bluff erosion, earth strata, and fossils that date back to the Miocene period, 5 to 7 million years old!

CITY OF POINT ARENA AND HISTORIC WHARF
Point Arena, one of California’s smallest cities, is distinguished as a state historical district on the meandering Shoreline Highway One in southern Mendocino County. From the forested slopes of the coastal ridge to the sea spray meadows along the Pacific Ocean, the town enjoys a moderate climate with misty fog carried by coastal breezes interspersed with warm, sunny days. The tiny city boasts fine shopping, art galleries, great restaurants, and the beautifully restored Arena Theatre.  The Cinema is maintained by the Arena Theater Association, a non-profit orginization that brings live performance art on stage for the community.

The historic Point Arena Wharf (also known as the Arena Cove) is a working harbor where commercial and private fishing boats may be seen unloading their catch.  Fishing without a license is allowed from the municipal pier.  This area also offers deep sea fishing outings, boating, shops and restaurants. The Cove also is noted to be one of the best surfing areas in California.
  
GUALALA

Located 20 minutes south of the Point Arena Lighthouse, Gualala is a larger community offering additional shopping, dinning, art galleries, coastal access via the Gualala Point Regional Park that is located along the shores of the scenic Gualala River.


ELK

Located about a half an hour north of the Lighthouse, the charming town of Elk (a mini version of the town of Mendocino) is a destination that offers spectacular coastal vistas, charming architecture, a historical museum, fine dinning, and quaint boutiques.  The coastal drive between the Lighthouse and Elk is noted to be one of the most spectacular along the California coast.
  
POINT CABRILLO LIGHTSTATION & PRESERVE

Located just one hour north of the Point Arena Lighthouse, in the town of Casper, the preserve occupies a spectacular headland thrusting out into the Pacific. As you start to walk down the access road, the Point Cabrillo Light Station is arrayed before you, made up of the Lighthouse itself and three original lightkeepers' houses and outbuildings. The lighthouse, which has been fully restored, is open every day of the year (including Thanksgiving and Christmas) from 11:00 AM till 4:00 PM.

 KAYAKING • FISHING • HIKING • GOLFING

The Mendocino Coast offers some of the finest sport fishing. Red abalone abound in these cold, rocky waters and may be taken in season. Steelhead, salmon, crab, and urchins are also caught here. Arena Rock, a one acre underwater "plateau," is a prime deep sea fishing area.

Nearby beaches offer the hiker solitude and scenery. Elk Beach, Alder Creek, Manchester Beach, Mote Creek, Schooner Gulch, Bowling Ball Beach, Anchor Bay, Gualala River, and The Sea Ranch are a few of the coastal access points.

There are several privately owned and state campgrounds in the area. These range in accommodations from primitive tent sites to full RV hookup sites complete with cable TV. As well as Manchester State Beach, the private campgrounds Manchester Beach KOA and Rollerville Junction are within a few miles of the Lighthouse. Pristine local rivers provide excellent canoeing/kayaking opportunities, and horseback riding along the sandy shores of Manchester State Beach is an exhilarating experience. The Sea Ranch, south of the Lighthouse, provides golfers with one of the most beautiful and challenging outdoor sporting experiences on the coast.

COASTAL WILDFLOWERS

Spring offers visitors to the Point Arena Lighthouse the chance to observe beautiful, rare varieties of coastal wildflowers and shrubs.  April and May typically produce an incredible display.  Some perennials you will see here are: White Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium), Coast Onion (Allium Dichlamydeum), Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis Margaritacea), Sea Pink (Armeria Maritima), Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja species), Hair Grass (Deschampsia Caespitosa), Live-forever (Dudleya Farinosa), Coastal California Poppy (Eschscholzia California Maritima), Bule Coast Gentian (Gentiana Affinis), Coastal Wild Strawberry (Fragaria Chiloensis), Wild Iris (Iris Douglasiana), Creeping Daisy (Lessingia Filaginifolia), Coast Goldenrod (Solidago Spathulata), Narrow Leafed Mule Ears (Wyethia Angustifolium), and much more!  


BIRD WATCHING

Hundreds of graceful Tundra Swans (Whistling Swans) winter each year on the nearby pasture lands along the Garcia River. Kestrels, Red-tails, Osprey, Eagles, Marsh Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, and hundreds of other species can be seen. Brown pelicans, black cormorants, seagulls and a variety of other sea birds can be seen nesting in and around the cliffs at Point Arena Lighthouse.


FESTIVITIES

Throughout the year, several celebrations take place along our beautiful coast.  The Independence Day fireworks and parade in Point Arena is a historic event that dates back to the late 1800's. Art-In-The-Redwoods is held during August in Gualala. and the Point Arena / Redwood Coast Whale Festival is held in March.  Please visit the Redwood Coast Chamber of Commerce web site for a detailed calendar of upcoming local events. Many local wineries offer wine tasting. 

Lighthouse Lecture Series

The second season of our winter lectures promises to be as informative and entertaining as last year.
Please join us for the following presentations:

November 15: Nik Epanchin will share information regarding elephant seals

January 24: Josephine Alexander will discuss her work as an artist featuring coast-themed artworks

February: Dr. Lori Laiwa will share her research on local Pomo Legends and Stories

March: Scott Mercer returns to share census data as a follow up to last year's gray whale migrations

April: Doug Forsell introduces his expertise on sea birds

Dates (where not listed) to be announced. Times are all 4:00 - 5:00 PM. $5 at the door. Light refreshments served.

Look for more information as the date of the next lecture approaches.

Gualala Salon
& Salon des Refusés

Opening Reception: Friday, October 3 at 5:00 p.m.
Exhibit remains through November 22, 2014
Burnett Gallery & Elaine Jacob Foyer
Gualala Arts Center

The Gualala Salon is made possible by the generous contributions
of Jack Chladek, of Jack's Gualala Pharmacy, and others.

 

The Gualala Salon exhibit will be a juried and judged fine art show. The purpose of this exhibit is to showcase outstanding visual art and artists without regard to the type of media. Three prizes for artwork in the Gualala Salon will be awarded by the judge as follows: First Place $1,000, Second Place $750, Third Place $500.
Artists will deliver their work to the Gualala Art Center on Tuesday, September 30, 2014 between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. All work submitted will be juried by the judge into the Gualala Salon (accepted work) or the Salon des Refusés (rejected work). Accepted work will be exhibited in the Burnett Gallery and will be eligible for the First, Second and Third Place awards. Rejected work will be exhibited in the Elaine Jacob Foyer and elsewhere throughout the Gualala Arts Center, and will be eligible for the People's Choice Awards of $100, $75, and $50. Every visitor to the exhibition will be asked to vote for three favorite pieces in the Salon des Refusés. 

For more information visit http://gualalaarts.org/Exhibits/Gallery/2014-10-Gualala-Salon.html  

The Point Arena Pier

After a visit to The Point Arena Lighthouse, visit The Point Arena Pier - a mecca for surfers, fishermen, divers and simply gorgeous sightseeing, food and shopping.

This sheltered area is surrounded by scenic bluffs and its waves are among the best on the north coast for surfing and sight-seeing. And fisheries including rock cod, lingcod, cabezon, walleye, rockfish and so much more. Enjoy the day, the surfers, the fishermen and some of the most beautiful scenery in Northern California.

For more information,visit http://www.mendocino.com

History in the Making!

HISTORY MAKING STATEMENT BY SCOTT DEITZ
A viewer sent along this Facebook post from Fort Bragg city council member Scott Deitz:

"This morning, after 8 years of planning, the Fort Bragg City Council awarded a contract for the building of the Coastal Trail. Construction will begin this summer and be completed by next fall. For the first time in the history of Fort Bragg there will be access to the City's coastline!"

We are looking forward to this wonderful addition to our Coastal Trail for our neighbors to the north, and for all that is the california coast in beautiful Mendocino County! Stay tuned...

Ann Berger, clay sculpture and Ellen Boulanger, painting

Opening Reception: Saturday, August 2, 2014, 5:00 p.m.
Exhibit remains through September 3
Dolphin Gallery


The August 2014 exhibit at the Dolphin Gallery features Ellen Boulanger and Ann Berger. The opening night reception is on Saturday, August 2 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and the show runs through Wednesday, September 3.

Ellen Boulanger

Growing up in Utah, Ellen Boulanger was taught that a practical and profitable career was a better choice than that of an artist, but she always had an interest in being creative whether weaving, painting, photographing or working with glass. Even though she moved to the Bay Area and pursued a career in computer programming, she never abandoned her desire to create artistically.

Read More...

Golf Tournament & Gala!

THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE

Save The Light Golf Tournament & Gala!

Sept. 13, 2014 at Sea Ranch Golf Links

A golf tournament held at the world famous
Sea Ranch Golf Course, located in Sea Ranch, California.

The Gala Dinner with auction will be at the beautiful Gualala Art Center.This event is a must for your line up of fall fundraisersto attend this year! This fundraiser, to benefit the historic Point Arena Lighthouse, will be located on the amazing Mendocino coast.

Tickets are $175 for the golf tournament with dinner.
Dinner only, $50.00.
Only 128 tournament tickets available
and these will go very quickly.
Reserve yours now!
Please call 707.882.2777 to order your tickets in advance.